The Silver Duo - Part Three

Chapter Four

Anna was running after that nosy little brat, her wand in her waistband and her sandals making an almost-funny flip-flip sound.

The ground turned from dirt and sand to cement and then they were running down a street lit by streetlamps, entering a suburban 'hood, a few kids out riding bikes and laughing with joy in dead of night. Only in America...

They drew some attention with their cops and robbers game going on, but Anna ignored it and kept sprinting after that kid, trying to stop... whatever he was doing. Well, she had an idea, but she pushed it aside in her mind, even though all the facts pointed to it. She just hoped her parents wouldn't go outside and see her gone.

Soon they sprinted down another side road and the houses turned from 'Oh Holy Land of Suburbia' to 'Bleh.' There were no little kids playing outside. It was a nice neighborhood, but it was pretty shady. She noticed that most of the houses had a FOR SALE signs, and the windows were dark and the driveways were empty.

Then they got to a small roundabout that put the 'sack' in 'cul-de-sac.' Even before she saw the flagpoles, it was really throwing shade. In the center median there was a bench set in a circle with one of those satanic cult-type stars burned into the ground with tiki torches at each point. She started to slow. The kid didn't.

Then she looked up at the flagpoles lit up by the streetlamps and almost screamed. There was the symbol that she only saw in books, the sign of Scourers, only in America. She walked (actually, ran) straight into a trap. She heard the slam of a door and there was sudden silence while she was too stunned to move, her reflexes going on lockdown. In only five seconds, there was a shout, a bang, and everything was lit up by huge floodlights she didn't see before, all around the shady cul-de-sac, snapping her out of shock. She turned to run but there was a huge SHINK! and metal plates popped out of the ground all around blocking all the exits and all view from the street beyond. Wow, these anti-magic people are pretty bad a—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a huge, terrible siren that screamed through the whole place, and more shouts. Yup, these people were officially awesome.

She pulled out her wand and ran to her greatest defense in life-or-death situations, a shrub. She just finished ducking down when she heard the first door open and a gun being pumped. Oooooooh no.

She turned quietly to see the backyard of whatever the house that was on the end of the cul-de-sac. It should've been pitch black but it was as bright as day. The metal wall went the whole length of the house and the backyard, and there was a five-foot tall barb-wired fence blocking the rest. Seriously, the cops didn't take a second look at this place?

There were more slamming doors and shouts ('I'm gon' getcha!' and 'Geet ova hiya!' ). Okay, maybe not exactly that, but she was scared and it was a common American stereotype.

She ran with her head low across the backyard, across the next, and all around the cul-de-sac, but there was just another metal wall there, and fences through the whole backyards. Dang it, how will I ever get out? said the sarcastic side of her brain. Oh, right!

She looked down at that little wooden stick in her hand.

"Bombarda!" she shouted, whipping her wand at the wall. There was a huge whoosh-bang! a burst of light, and she felt herself flying through the air, holding tight to her wand and she thought This is the end.

Get up, said the rational part of her, and she realized that she luckily landed on a trampoline and she was bouncing up and down in it. She faintly lifted her head and saw the aftermath of the spell. There was a small crater in the ground and a gaping rip in the metal wall, and she could see the house outside of it. The only problem: she was twenty yards away and the Scourers were coming.

She quickly got up and started sprinting, her sandals making the silly flip-flip! Sound. She saw the first coming from the house in front of her with a rifle... and nothing but a rifle. Ew.

"IT'S OVER HERE!" he roared, and he raised his rifle to his eye.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" she shouted, and the spell that came from her wand felt heavier than usual. There was a huge burst of light and the man wasn't there anymore, his gun arcing in the air and clattering to the floor. All she saw through the back door was a huge hole in a wall in the house, where the guy probably went. For a split second she started wondering why it was so powerful, but she heard another yell and started running again.

She saw one to her right and blasted him across the street, not stopping at all.

Only two more houses to go...

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted at the next one, and she lost her gun and was thrown into the side of the house.

One and a half...

She heard the terrible sound of gunfire and winced, but ignored the instinct to stop, drop, and roll into a ball and surrender.

"Protego!" she shouted just as a bullet whizzed past her face. The spell seemed to turn the air to glass for a second before disappearing, and the bullets bounced off of it like a wall.

Just one more house...

A whole team of them popped out like whack-a-moles and rose their guns, pointing them straight at Anna's face...

"EVERTE STATUM!" she roared, like she was trying to announce to the entire world. It should've been helpless, but it was so powerful it felt like she was throwing a refrigerator, and looked like a tiny sun or huge star. The whole group flew back like bowling pins, and the kick from her wand made her stumble to the ground, but it didn't matter. There was no one left. Except for that pesky little kid...

She got up, dusting off her pants. She was a few yards from her exit now. She started walking when she heard a "Hey!"

She turned and, yup, it was the pesky little boy. Except now he was holding a gun. Okay.

Anna raised her wand.

"Drop it, you evil little witch!"

Who're you callin' little?

"Just... just drop the gun. I don't wanna hurt you."

"No! You're evil! You just came here and you killed everyone!"

"Whoa, I didn't kill anyone. Their just knocked out."

"ShutupIdon'tcareyou'restillevil!!!" he screamed.

Anna took a breath. She didn't realize it while she was on adrenaline, but it was just wrong to do this stuff to a Muggle. Especially a little boy Muggle... even if he is pesky. But she had no choice. He had his finger on the trigger...

She waved her wand and the gun flew out of his hand. He looked in the direction of the gun, then at her, with what looked like fear. All she could hope was the boy would take it as a lesson when she supposedly spared his life.

She walked the rest of the distance to the wall.